The Immigrant experience: In their own words

Currently there are approximately 36million immigrants living in the United States. They make up 12.4% of the total population yet many native born Americans know little of their lives and experiences. Recently, as political debate has raged over reforming our current immigration laws, much of the focus has been placed on the approximately 12mil immigrants who currently live here without proper documentation. While this debate has been emotional and divisive, often ripe with misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric from both sides, one group that has been left out of the discussion is the immigrant. We have not heard much from the 36million living in our mist. We know little of their daily lives, the problems they face and how they have worked to overcome them. Yet their voice is an important one that needs to be heard when discussing this issue.

In an effort to bring these voices into the debate, KQED Public Broadcasting has produced the documentary, "Immigrant Voices-American Stories" that will be airing Friday November 24th at 7:30PM. Featuring the stories of eight diverse individuals, the half hour documentary attempts to paint a more complex portrait of the immigrant experience.


tags: immigration, Immigration in Focus , KQED

As part of KQED's new eighteen month initiative to examine immigration through a series of programs, special reports and events surrounding the complex issue, "Immigrant Voices" is the first in a series of documentaries to be featured in the "Immigration in Focus" series.

Using all of the various media platforms available to them, including television, radio, the internet and their educational network, KQED is hoping that the "Immigration in Focus" programming will encourage their viewers and listeners to broaden their perspectives on immigration issues and engage individuals who are often left out of the discussion.

"Immigrant Voices- American Stories" features the stories of eight different immigrants, all from different countries and cultures. They represent various states of legal status, from the undocumented to Legal Permanent Residents and those with temporary work visas to those who have become citizens. Yet each one of these immigrants faces their own unique set of challenges and obstacles as they try to maneuver through the complex maze of the US immigration system. They also deal with other problems inherent to new arrivals; finding safe and affordable housing, trying to maintain cultural and social ties within their communities while making the transition to a new environment, or fighting for their rights in the workplace. Told in their own words, their stories are compelling and thought provoking, revealing aspects and issues often left out of the greater political debate over immigration and immigration reform.

The "Immigration in Focus" programming will not be the first time KQED has addressed the issue of immigration, but it will be the first time the public broadcaster will be utilizing all its various media platforms to work together in hopes shedding light on a single topic.

In addition to its documentaries, KQED will be featuring other TV programming such as regular roundtable discussions about immigration and analysis of the latest immigration news. Its radio stations, which include 88.5FM in San Francisco and 89.3FM in Sacramento, will be airing special programming covering the process of becoming a US citizen and what citizenship means, audio essays allowing individuals in the immigrant community to tell their personal stories, and expanded news coverage of immigration issues.

This will all be accompanied by a simultaneous outreach effort of their education network. They will be partnering with community coalitions, immigrant organizations, policy makers, employers and educational groups to foster understanding of the immigration issue through public screenings and discussion guides. They will also have standards-based educational materials for classroom use by 2007.

Their website, http://www.kqed.org/immigrationinfocus will feature on-demand streaming of all of their programming from the various media sources along with original interactive content.

This effort represents one of the first times a major broadcaster will be committing this kind of effort and resources to the issue of immigration and immigration reform. Over the eighteen month period they will be presenting a wide spectrum of views on the topic from the voices of individual immigrants to discussions with experts and activists on both sides of the debate. Given the quality and objectivity of current offerings we've seen on the subject from other broadcasters, KQED's work represents a welcome change. Hopefully others will follow their lead and start offering their viewers and listeners more meaningful information and discussion of this important issue.


"Immigrant Voices – American Stories" will air Friday November 24th at 7:30PM. It will be available for viewing via on-demand stream at www.kqed.or/immigrationinfocus immediately following the show. Archives of past immigration programming are also available at the site

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A forgotten face of immigration reform

Contrary to the vitriolic rhetoric that comes from anti-immigration proponents like Tom Tancredo, Lou Dobbs and Pat Buchanan, about half of the nations undocumented immigrants don't arrive under the cover night, smuggled over a porous Mexican border by unsavory characters profiting from the trade in human cargo. They enter the country through legal channels with visas in hand to work, study or visit. After time, they fall out of status and join the growing ranks of the undocumented. They do so not out of malicious intent, but rather because there are no legal channels available for them to change their status and make a new more permanent life in a country they now want to call their own.

The other popular misconception perpetuated by the anti-immigration right is that immigration reform centers almost exclusively on poor, unskilled, uneducated immigrants from Mexico and Central America. But in reality the face of immigration reform is diverse, and the issue affects many immigrant groups whose voice is often drowned out by the din of xenophobic rhetoric coming from those who oppose true reform.


tags: immigration, Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform , ILIR, KQED

While the majority of the nations 11 to 12 million undocumented do come from Mexico and Central America, roughly one quarter come from countries outside Latin America, such as Russia, Poland, Canada, Haiti, Korea, India, China and the Philippines. Many of theses three million non-Hispanic undocumented immigrants have skills and higher educations that are much needed in today's new economy, yet for most Americans they are a forgotten face in the immigration debate. A face intentionally left out of the conversation by the anti-immigration right because they don't fit neatly into the carefully crafted stereotypes that demonize the undocumented and play on ignorance and bigotry to further an exclusionary agenda.

One group that has tried to avoid relegation to the periphery of the debate is the 40,000 to 50,000 undocumented Irish immigrants presently living and working in the US. They have taken an active role through groups like the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform to advocate in Washington on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform and marched in the massive demonstrations throughout the country last spring. Yet like so many other immigrant groups, their story often gets omitted when immigration reform is debated.

"We've had some very surprised reactions when they hear it is an issue for the Irish," said Celine Kennelly, executive director for the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center in San Francisco, an advice and referral service sponsored by the Irish Catholic Conference of Bishops.

"They are in as dire straits as any other ethnic group," said Kennelly, who estimates there are 3,000 to 4,000 Irish illegal immigrants in San Francisco, most working in construction, in restaurants or as nannies and caretakers for the elderly. "They cannot get driver's licenses, it's harder to open bank accounts, they cannot travel home and return again. ... The relationship between Ireland and America is so long and fantastic, but it's in danger now."

More than 250,000 Irish immigrants reside in the United States, according to the census, and most of them are here legally. But in recent decades, most arrivals from Ireland have overstayed their visas and become illegal immigrants, said Kennelly, because the government is issuing fewer work visas. A 1991 program offered legal permanent residence to about 16,000 undocumented Irish, but there has been no legalization plan since then.

San Francisco Chronicle

According to Marianna Corvan, also of the Pastoral Center and an organizer for the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, one of the biggest problems facing Irish immigrants is the limited number of work visas issued each year. She arrived 18 months ago on a J-1 visa to work with an immigration law firm in San Francisco as part of her studies in international human rights law. When that visa was set to expire she was able to obtain an H1b work visa with her employer's sponsorship so she could remain on. According to Corvan, "I was just lucky to get the application in on time, there are only 65,000 H1b visas available each year, this year they ran out in a record time…six weeks"

But for many Irish immigrants the chances of obtaining a work visa are slim. "A lot of them came from Ireland with degrees but they can't get any legal path… to get a social security number to get a real job" said Corvan, "so they're forced into babysitting or working in bars."

This lack of work visas coupled with the limited number of green cards issued each year to Irish immigrants (only 2088 out of 1,122,373 issued worldwide in 2005), has led to a situation where many Irish immigrants are starting to return to Ireland out of sheer frustration.

Martin is going home to Ireland for Christmas, and it’s not just for the holidays. He isn’t coming back.
Martin, 29, an illegal Irish immigrant who has been here for seven years, has had enough. He came to America looking for a better life, but has not been able to obtain legal status in this country. He will soon join the growing trend of Irish immigrants moving back to Ireland, where they can reap the benefits of a booming economy and legal citizenship.

“I’ve had enough of being a subject here. I have to find a life somewhere,” said Martin, who requested his last name be withheld.

Statistics show Martin is one of many Irish immigrants who are opting to return home as a result of the current immigration situation in the United States and the burgeoning economic state back home. According to Ireland’s Department of Social and Family Affairs, 132,000 Irish have returned since 2001, with more than 61,000 returning between 2002 and 2004.
Queens Chronicle

Another factor that has led to this exodus of Irish immigrants is the inability to return home for family emergencies or celebrations. Like all other immigrant groups, increased enforcement has made them virtual prisoners of the immigration system.

Those who return home know they risk never being able to return. Cathal Kennedy, a 22 year old carpenter, said some Irish immigrants won’t even go home for a wedding or funeral for fear they’ll have difficulty re entering the country or will be denied the opportunity to enter at all. “If people could come and go as they please, not as many people would go home,” Kennedy added.
Queens Chronicle

Corvan sees the situation as one that could essentially bring an end to the long standing relationship between the Untied States and Ireland and effectively put an end to an immigrant community that has been an important part of the nation since its inception. "A lot of people just aren’t coming here anymore because there just isn’t a legal channel for them to do so." said Covan "In my opinion unless there is some type of comprehensive immigration reform legislation passed, the Irish community in the United States is going to be no more"

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform is planning to take part in a national lobbying day in January 2007 in Washington DC to lobby the new congress to take up comprehensive immigration reform. For information see:The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform

Marianna Corvan will be featured in a new documentary from San Francisco's KQED titled: "Immigrant Voices - American Stories". The half hour documentary is part of KQED's "Immigration in Focus", a year long multimedia collection of programs, special reports and events about the issue of immigration. The documentary will air on November 24th at 7:30PM. It will also be available for viewing at www.kqed.org/immigrationinfocus

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